The Vagabond Duchess - Claire Thornton

Released in 2007 The Vagabond Duchess by Claire Thornton is an interesting historical romance set at the time of the great fire of London. The setting is what makes it unusual. It's the first romance I've read that uses the panic of fire as a plot tool and it's both well written and interesting.

Temperance Challinor is quietly respectable if stubborn and strong willed woman running a cloth store in London. She's not looking for a husband, she has no need for one and the only man in her life is the young apprentice who works for her. But in a freak chance she ends up making a delivery without her apprentice and meets Jack Bow who helps save her from a difficult situation with a client.

But London is about to erupt in flames. As Jack becomes involved in her life all hell breaks loose with the fire that ravaged London in 1666. In the emotional havoc that follows the fire Jack Bow and Temperance become lovers, but then she is told Jack is dead and she is left grieving for a man she barely knew and yet loved, then left with another problem. Their brief, shared passion, has left her with child.

Following the clues Jack left behind, Temperance traces Jack back to his home where the truth is revealed. In her effort to find out what's going on she claims she is his widow and the walls come tumbling down on her. He isn't the vagabond minstrel he had led her to believe, but a Duke. And he's still alive - and her claim just named her not only his wife, but a Duchess.

Temperance and Jack are two characters that pull you into their story. Despite the dramatic setting the story is far more subdued than you first believe it will be. This isn't a bad thing, just not quite what I was expecting with the storylines that are woven through the book. However, if the storylines hadn't been kept under careful control then they would have overwhelmed the romance elements of the book. So I can understand why Ms. Thornton took pains to keep the story going, without it losing the elements that first drew me to the book.

The Vagabond Duchess is a book that stutters in places, but it's well worth reading. I enjoyed the story, the craft shown by the author, and the setting as a whole. The panic of the fire is very well described. It's beautifully done without threatening to lose the reader in the emotional struggle for survival.

I will be keeping an eye out for Ms. Thornton's novels in future as I'm interested to see just what else this author can create.

The Vagabond Duchess is a Harlequin Historical release and easily found on their website.

ISBN 9780373294466